Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-08-13

strange Facss h the Liss Of LORD Alsham- iiow
An Uncle usarpsd the Title and Estate and
How tho Young Man Recoverea fhem

his county Q portion Of Q womsn's skull
which was plowed up In . field near the foot
u the Chickies hills many years sga The
owner asserts that Il 10 The skull Of . woman /
Who was the daughter OF one Of the early /
settlers In that part Of Lancaster county, and |
Who, bot for the sudden and untimely death /
Of her lover would have become the wife of L
James Aunesley, Lord Altman, who sue |
ceeded 70 the title and its estates in the |
county Wexford, Ireland, in l7i3. The story |
Ihst the crumbling skull recalls II Q pathetic /
Among the passengers on bnard of vessel |
that landed In Philadelphia In the early |
summer of 172S was boy who said his name |
wss James Annesley. lie wss l3 years old,
and said he had been placed on the snip ri
Dublin by his uncle, who had deserted him.
The boys passage had not been paid, and
"a his story was not believed by the captain
Of the vessel he was sold, after the custom Of |
that day, to serve hts purchaser unit. his |
service had satisfied the amount paid tor him
to the ships captain. un!ortunates of that
kind were called " redemptioners," and ~
the rich agricultural lands In Lancaster aud
counties were then being taken up
ny settlers and farm help was scarce in the
country, farmers owning such lands were
always on hand At the tnding of every YES
sci from abroad, with the hope OF securing
one or more redemptioners to labor on the
farms they were making. The hoy
Annes|ey was purchased by an old German
farmer who owned tract at the foot of the
Chicsies hilla He WAS put to work at farm
drudgery, and shaved for the farmer for over
10 years Once during this term OF service
he attempted to ESCAPE from his master, but
WAS captured and locked In the log building
which WAS then the county jail, and stood in
what II now the centre Of the village of Col
umbia The building was still standing
within the recollection OF middle aRed resi-.
dents OF Columbia to day.
The boy could have been kept prisoner at
the pleasure of his master, but the story is
that he was released ut the fearful solicitation
OF the farmers daughter-s girl one year the
junior OF Annesley. The young redemp-
TONER went back to his drudgery on the
farm and never attempted to escape
from 1t again. AS he grew to manhood he
developed a wild disposition, and the far.
mer's daughter, between whom and the Irish
lad . strong affection had grown, was the
only person who could hold him in check.
The girls father objected to the intimacy be-.
tween Annesley anu his daughter, and at the
end Of 10 years tried to dismiss the youth
from his service and drive him away from
the neighborhood; /; but the young man re.
fused to 60. He said he intended to marry
the farmers daughter as soon ~ he could 20
which he had been robbed. The old Ger.
msn did not believe the stories Anuesley was
In the habit OF telling about his Just claim to
wealth and rank in bis native land, but the
Kr6ak6SL tn6m.
In the summer OF l740 two Irish immi.
grants who had landed In Philadelphia and
were on their way sfoot to Q settlement ON the
SusquehannA in what 10 now Dauphin
county, while passing by the old Germans
farm stopped to ask for drink OF water
Young Annesley happened to be the person
OF whom they made the request Noticing
that the men were Irishmen he asked them
from what part OF Ireland they came. He
was told that they were natives OF County
VIr.-N N<-xv Ah-e 49,
Lord Altman, whose cruelties had forced
them and others to leave Ireland and come to
America. Annesley surprised the two Irish.
men, who were brothers, named John and
William Brody, by telling them that he was
James Annesley, the real Lord Altman, and
that at his fathers death in i72s he had been
induced by his Uncle Richard to leave his
school In Dublin and 20 with him aboard {
veaael which had s,iled with him to America
The lrishmen told him that the uncle va,
In possession OF the title and estates, he hsv-
ing proved the death OF bis nephew, Jsmes
and being the nCxt of kin.
Arthur, Lord Altman. the father of James,
had married natural daughter of the Ear
OF Buckingham In l1H. Soon after the birth
OF her son in Ills she and her husband seps.
rated. Lord Althsm kept the child, and
formed q liaison with . young Irish woman
by the name Of Gregory. She succeeded in
creating IN his heart strong dislike for the
boy James, and the latter was placed in
charge o. q school teacher in Dublin. The
boy did EOt know who his father was until
the lsttef's death, when his Dublin guardian
told him. His uncle took him from the
guardian under pretens So Of conducting him
to wexford, bat sent him adrift to merica
instead, and came into the title and property.
The two Brodys were satisfied boy ond
doubt that the old Germans farm hand was
the real Lord Althsm, and volunteered to 20
back with him TO Ireland and help him to
his righta James Annesley went TO Phils-
delPhis, and succeeded In interesting Robert
Ellis, leading lawyer of that day, In his
case. Ellis provided the young man with
passage and letters 10 Admiral Vernon, OF
the British navy, who was then stationed at
the West Indies, and he forwarded Annes-
ley to England, with strong recommends
tons to influential parties. The Brodys 10.
turned to ireland aud put themselves vt the
command OF the claimant Before he had
proceedings under way to recover his estates
and title from his uncle Richard Annesley
killed man in brswl in London. He was
arrested and indicted for murder. His uncle
used money without stint 10 secure tho young
mans conviction, but he was acquitted, Il
having been shown that he killed the mar
In sslf.dsfense. The proceedings against his
uncle followed and resulted In ths COM plete
success OF the claimants suit, In November
Ei3.
A fsw months after James Annesley LEFT
philadslphia to press his claim - Lord Al
than the old Germans daughter gave birth
to child. Its paternity was never In doubt
ana on receipt Of letter from the girl beg
ging hitn To return and marry her the claim
ant of the Altman estates and title replied and
renewed his promise to return To America nj
the very earliest moment practicable and full.
fill his vOws. He wrote to the girl by every
vessel and on the announcement of the deci.
sion OF the court In his favor sent her word
: iat the next vessel after the one that carried
the news to her would have him ~ q passsn.
ger To America, whence he would return to
his estates In Ireland with her a. Lady Al.
than.
The defeated uncle and false Lord Altbsm
appealed from the dec isiOn OF the court to the
House OF Lorda While the case was pending
there the young Lord Altman died sudd denl y
anu mysteriously in his apartment In Lon.
don. The uncle then became Lord Altman
In TACT and the case WAS at an end. The ssd
TO the expectant German girl In America by
one OF the Brodys, who had rem mained In
England, intending to take service under the
successful claimant. The news unbalanced
the mind OF the unfortunate girl and she died
hopeless maniac three years later. She was
buried on her fathers farm, st the spot
where the skull was found 1875 years later.
The old German sold the farm after liz
daughters death, he being Q widower, and
went away, no one knew whittier. He LETT
MS nameless grandchild Q care upon strsn.
gers. The boy grew to manhood, and was
Killed In one OF the frontier Indian fights
oefor0 the Revolutionary war. The old
Eoglish novels OF Rodsrick Random and
ftorence Macsrty were based on the story Of
young Lord Altham's life
Mach Of the story Pure Fiction.
samuel Evans In the Lanca star Hramto.r